Ring juggling

Tutorial 5 ring cascade - Part I

Rings are flat, circular objects, usually big enough to easily be placed around a juggler's neck. Their shape makes it possible to do tricks with them that can't be done with balls and clubs, such as pull downs and pancakes. Most jugglers consider balls to be easier to juggle than rings, but for some people rings are easier for numbers juggling, because they're lighter and very thin, so they collide less, and they are the easiest prop to collect.

The earliest known record of juggling with modern (flat) rings is from the instructional book The Art of Modern Juggling, written in 1904 or earlier. Previously, jugglers had used other circular objects such as plates and hoops.

The highest number of rings that have been qualified (at least twice as many catches as objects) is 10, and the highest number of rings that have been flashed (same number of throws and catches as objects) is 13 (by Albert Lucas).

3 rings

3 RIngs Juggling Ⅲ

3 ring tricks by Takaaki Matsumura

A 3 ring cascade is a little more difficult than a 3 ball cascade, because rings are much bigger than balls, so they have to be thrown higher, and the technique for throwing rings is different from the technique for throwing balls. 3 is the minimum number of rings allowed in the Beginner, Junior, and Intermediate WJF competitions. The 3 ring endurance world record is 1 hour, 47 minutes, and 49 seconds by Kenshin Tomie.^(video)

4 rings

4 ring juggling double blind kick

4 ring double blind kick by Jacob Weiss

4 rings are most commonly juggled in a fountain pattern (2 rings in each hand). The wimpy pattern is impractical for rings and clubs because of their size, but the reverse wimpy pattern with the rings turned sideways is less collision-prone. The WJF intermediate ring competition allowed a minimum of 4 rings until 2010, when the format for that competition was changed to allow only 5 ring juggling. (The current Intermediate competition format includes moves with 3, 4, and 5 rings.) The unofficial world record for 4 rings (not validated by any world record organizations; no publicly available video) is 48 minutes and 8 seconds by Ameron Rosvall.

5 rings

WJF 7 Live! DVD Short Program Teaser

5 ring competition routine by Doug Sayers

The basic pattern for 5 ring juggling is a higher (and/or faster) version of the 3 ring cascade. 5 is the minimum number of rings used in the competitions in the WJF overall championship. 5 rings was originally the minimum for the advanced ring short program; since 2010, that competition is for 5 rings only. Before 2015, the overall championship also included 5 ring freestyle (best trick competition) and 360s (most 5 up 360s in 1 minute) competitions. The WJF also had an intermediate level 5 ring short program in 2010 and 2011. The unofficial world record for 5 rings (not validated by any world record organizations; no publicly available video) is 1 hour by Thomas Dietz.^{(claim at 1:15:00)}

6 rings

6 Ring Juggling Trick

6 ring breakdown by Jason Garfield

The WJF overall championship included a 6 ring freestyle competition from 2006 to 2014. In 2008, the overall championship also included a 6 ring 1 minute 360s competition with only 360s in asynch patterns allowed (winner: Thomas Dietz). The world record for 6 rings is 6 minutes and 16 seconds by Willy Colombaioni.^(video)

7 rings

Sergei Ignatov 7 Ring Routine

7 ring routine by Sergei Ignatov

Until 1984, there were only two divisions in the IJA Numbers Championships - one for 7 objects (competitors could use either 7 balls or 7 rings in the same division) and one for 5 clubs. Since 1984, the IJA has had competitions with a separate division for each prop, where competitors are scored higher for juggling higher numbers. Before 2015, the WJF overall championship included two competitions for 7 rings: freestyle, and isolated endurance (endurance contest with competitors standing on chairs to allow only accurate, controlled patterns). The world record for 7 ring juggling is 15 minutes and 6 seconds by Anthony Gatto.^(video)

8 rings

8 rings 8 up 360 qualify-0

8 ring 8 up 360s by Anthony Gatto

8 is the minimum number of rings used in the numbers endurance competitions at the IJA and the WJF. The 8 ring juggling world record is 1 minute and 17 seconds by Anthony Gatto.^(video) The following people have juggled 8 rings for at least 100 catches on video:

• Anthony Gatto - over 300 catches^(video)
• Pavel Evsukevich - 127 catches^(video)
• Willy Colombaioni - 125 catches^(video)
• Junming Lin - 104 catches^(video)
• Patrik Elmnert - 104 catches^(video)
• Jason Garfield - 100 catches^(video)

Other jugglers reported to have done at least 100 catches of 8 rings:

• Sergei Ignatov - 140 catches^(claim)
• Scott Sorensen - 110 catches^(claim)
• Emil Dahl - 104 catches^(claim)
• Alexander Kiss - 100 catches^(claim)

Tricks that have been done with 8 rings include:

• Pancake pull down from a qualify^(video)
• Transition from asynch fountain (qualified) to synch fountain (qualified)^(video)
• Fountain with ring balance - qualified^(video)
• Fountain with head bounce - qualified^(video)
• 97 (qualified) to one-handed pull down^(video)
• Breakdown to a qualify^(video)
• Wall bounce - not qualified^(video)
• Full reverse - qualified^(video)
• 6 up 360 to a qualify^(video)
• 8 up 360 to a qualify^(video)

9 rings

9 ring pirouette Samuel Pauwels

9 ring 9 up 360 to a collect by Samuel Pauwels

The first person to win the IJA's numbers endurance competition by juggling 9 rings was Albert Lucas, in 1984. The world record for 9 rings is 235 catches by Anthony Gatto.^(video) Anthony claims to have done 9 rings for 272 catches. Tricks that have been done with 9 rings include:

• Super pancake pull down from a qualify^(video)
• Pull down with head bounce - not from a qualify^(video)
• Blind kick start - not to a qualify^(video)
• Pull off neck from 8 rings to 9 rings - qualified^(video)
• 8 rings with ring balance to 9 rings - not qualified^(video)
• Cascade with ring balance - not qualified^(video)
• Quadruplexes qualified^(video)
• Halfshower - not qualified^(video)
• (ax,8)* - flashed^(video)
• 9 up 360 to a collect^(video)

10 rings

Albert Lucas 10 Ring Qualify

10 ring qualify by Albert Lucas

Freddy Zay is the first person credited with doing 10 rings. 10 is the highest number of rings that have been qualified in any of the numbers endurance competitions at the IJA and the WJF. The following jugglers have qualified 10 rings on video:

• Albert Lucas juggled 10 rings for 20 catches in the IJA Numbers Championships in 1996 (the first 10 ring qualify on video), and again in 2002. He later did 26 catches on video.
• Anthony Gatto currently holds the 10 ring world record with 47 catches, and claims to have done 64 catches.
• Junming Lin - 28 catches^(video)
• Willy Colombaioni - 26 catches^(video)

Other jugglers reported to have qualified 10 rings:

• Francis Brunn (claim)
• David Lee (claim)
• Sergei Ignatov (claim)
• Scott Sorensen (claim)
• Jason Garfield (claim)
• Sam Hartford (claim)

Tricks that have been done with 10 rings:

• A pull down from a qualifying run by Anthony Gatto^(video)
• 13 catches while isolated by Willy Colombaioni^(video)
• A flash with a ring balance by Pavel Evsukevich,^(video) Laido Dittmar^(video) and Willy Colombaioni^(video)
• A flash with a club balance by Anthony Gatto,^(video) Pavel Evsukevich,^(video) Willy Colombaioni,^(video) and Laido Dittmar^(video)
• A flash with a pole balance by Anthony Gatto,^(video) Willy Colombaioni,^(video) and Rudolf Levitskiy^(video)
• A flash of a full reverse with a pole balance by Nikolai Gerasimov^(video)
• 14 catches with a head bounce by Anthony Gatto^(video)
• A flash with a 10 up 360 by Anthony Gatto^{(video no longer available)}

11 rings

11 rings pull down!!-0

11 ring flash with a pull down by Rudolf Levitskiy

11 is the highest number of rings that have been performed onstage. Albert Petrovski was the first person to flash 11 rings, starting with the last ring held in his mouth. He started performing with 11 in 1963. No one has successfully juggled 11 rings in the numbers endurance competitions at the IJA and the WJF, which require a qualifying run, or even qualified 11 rings on video in practice. The following jugglers have all flashed 11 rings on video:

• Anthony Gatto was the first person to flash 11 rings on video, in 1989, using holsters to hold the last two rings. He broke the record in 2000 with 15 catches,^(video) and again in 2006, with 17 catches, which is the current world record. He has also flashed 11 without holsters (starting with the last ring held between his legs) while bouncing a ball on his head.^(video) He has also done 11 rings with a pole balance^(video) and an 11 ring pull down.^(video) He has performed with 11 rings onstage,^{(video at 4:30)} and claims to have qualified 11 in practice.
• Sergei Ignatov regularly performed with 11 rings onstage.^(video) He officially tied for the world record (a flash) in 1991, and is rumored to have qualified 11 rings.
• Nikolai Gerasimov - onstage without holsters, all 11 launched from his hands^(video)
• Willy Colombaioni has done 15 catches of 11 rings^(video) and flashed 11 rings isolated.^(video)
• Emiliano Fusco^(video)
• Lajos Nereus - 12 catches outdoors without holsters^(video)
• Earl Shatford has flashed 11 rings on video and claims to have done 20 catches.
• Rudolf Levitskiy has flashed 11 rings without holsters onstage,^(video) and with a pull down.^(video)
• Alberto Sforzi - video only shows the catches, not the throws
• Laido Dittmar - without holsters^(video)
• Pavel Evsukevich has done 11 rings for 13 catches^(video) and flashed 11 rings while balancing a ring.^(video)
• Vitaly Mironov - without holsters, all launched from his hands^(video)
• Jorge Perezoff^(video)
• Daniel Lysenko has done 15 catches of 11 rings,^(video) and flashed 11 onstage.^(video)
• Eivind Dragsjø - without holsters^(video)

12 rings

Anthony Gatto 12 Rings World Record

12 ring flash by Anthony Gatto

The earliest account of juggling with 12 circular objects is from the Symposium by Xenophon, which describes a girl juggling 12 hoops in ancient Greece. Anthony Gatto was the first person JISCON verified as having flashed 12 rings, in 1993. Albert Lucas is recorded as flashing 12 several years before that, and he officially tied for the record in 1996. Sam Hartford reported to have flashed 12 rings in 2002, but didn't publish the video or submit it to JISCON until 2010. Lajos Nereus also flashed 12 rings in 2010.^(video) Junming Lin^(video) and Pavel Evsukevich^(video) both flashed 12 rings in 2013. In 2015, Rudolf Levitskiy also flashed 12 rings,^(video) and Willy Colombaioni broke the record with 13 catches.^(video) In 2016, Willy Colombaioni broke the record again in March with 14 catches,^(video) and then set the current 12 ring world record in July with 16 catches.^(video) He has also flashed 12 rings isolated on a chair.^(video) Jian Wen Qian^(claim) and Scott Sorensen^(claim) both claim to have flashed 12 rings, but don't have video evidence. Albert Lucas is rumored to have qualified 12 rings.

13 rings

Albert Lucas is the only person who has flashed 13 rings. He submitted the video to JISCON in 2002, and he also showed it to jugglers at the IJA festival that year, but other than that the video has never been made available to the public. Albert used a synch 14 ring pattern for 13 rings: (e,e)(e,e)(e,e)(e,e)(e,e)(e,e)(e,0), starting with 8 rings in his hands and 5 in holsters. He has claimed to have also flashed 14 rings on video, but he didn't want to share the video because it didn't show the whole pattern. In 2013, Albert showed a video of a 14 ring flash (with an edit in the middle) to jugglers at the Japan Juggling Festival.

See also

• Ring juggling category on Juggle Wiki
• Ring juggling world records

• Hoops
• Plates

• Ball juggling
• Club juggling